Supportive Self Ventilating Pillow System

ABSTRACT

A supportive self ventilating pillow system for effectively supporting the neck and head of a user while simultaneously providing ventilation within the pillow. The supportive self ventilating pillow system generally includes a plurality of layers of foam material with passages within to allow for ventilation of the pillow. The plurality of layers are comprised of a plurality of ring members, strip members or braided members layered upon one another to form the pillow and ventilation passages. The plurality of layers are preferably constructed of memory foam.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/804,819 filedMar. 25, 2013. The 61/804,819 application is currently pending. The61/804,819 application is hereby incorporated by reference into thisapplication.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to pillows and more specificallyit relates to a supportive self ventilating pillow system foreffectively supporting the neck and head of a user while simultaneouslyproviding ventilation within the pillow.

2. Description of the Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Conventional pillows are cushioned supports for the head and neck of auser for use while sleeping or resting. Conventional pillows arecomprised of a covering that surrounds a soft stuffing (e.g. downfeathers, synthetic foam, memory foam). The pillow is typically coveredby a pillowcase.

One problem with conventional pillows is that they do not providesufficient ventilation to the user during usage. In addition,conventional pillows do not provide adequate neck and head supportresulting in soreness of the back, neck and shoulders. In addition,conventional pillows often times require the user to fluff or otherwiseadjust their pillow during sleep.

Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a needfor a new and improved supportive self ventilating pillow system foreffectively supporting the neck and head of a user while simultaneouslyproviding ventilation within the pillow.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to pillow which includes a plurality oflayers of foam material with passages within to allow for ventilation ofthe pillow. The plurality of layers are comprised of a plurality of ringmembers, strip members or braided members layered upon one another toform the pillow and ventilation passages. The plurality of layers arepreferably constructed of memory foam.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features ofthe invention in order that the detailed description thereof may bebetter understood, and in order that the present contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and that will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, beforeexplaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of thedescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the present invention positionedwithin a pillowcase.

FIG. 2 is an exploded upper perspective view of the present inventionremoved from the pillow case.

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the present invention utility aplurality of ring members.

FIG. 4 is an exploded upper perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 7 cross sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 cross sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an upper perspective view of a first alternative embodiment ofthe present invention utilizing strip members.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the first alternative embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the first alternative embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is an upper perspective view of a second alternative embodimentof the present invention utilizing braided members.

FIG. 15 is top view of the second alternative embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an exploded upper perspective view of the second alternativeembodiment.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the second alternative embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an end view of a braided member.

FIG. 19 is an upper perspective view of a third alternative embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an exploded upper perspective view of the third alternativeembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1through 20 illustrate a supportive self ventilating pillow system 10,which comprises a plurality of layers of foam material 30 with passageswithin to allow for ventilation of the pillow. The plurality of layersare comprised of a plurality of ring members 40, strip members 50 orbraided members 60 layered upon one another to form the pillow andventilation passages. The plurality of layers are preferably constructedof memory foam.

The present invention is constructed of a plurality of layers of foammaterial 30 stacked upon one another as best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4,7, 8, 9 and 14 of the drawings. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate utilizing afirst layer 32, a second layer 34 and a third layer 36 stacked upon oneanother, however, it can be appreciated that more than three layers maybe utilized (e.g. 4 layers, 5 layers, 6 layers, 7 layers, etc.).

The plurality of layers of foam material 30 may be loosely positionedadjacent to one another in a non-attached manner or attached to oneanother at connection points utilizing a glue, adhesive, fasteners,straps or by other connection means. The layers of foam material 30 forma pillow structure having a bottom surface, an upper surface, and atleast one side surface. FIGS. 3, 9 and 14 illustrate a pillow structureformed by the layers of foam material 30 having a rectangular shape withfour side surfaces, however, it can be appreciated that different shapeswith a different number of side surfaces may be used (e.g. circular,oblong, polygonal and the like).

The plurality of layers of foam material 30 are preferably comprised ofpolyurethane foam. It is further preferable that the plurality of layersof foam material 30 are comprised of viscoelastic polyurethane foam(e.g. memory foam). The foam material used for the layers of foammaterial 30 may also be constructed of higher-density memory foam thatsoftens in reaction to body heat allowing the pillow structure to moldto the body of the user while sleeping.

A plurality of ventilation passages extend through the plurality oflayers of foam to provide ventilation to the user and keep thetemperature reduced for the comfort of the user. In particular, theventilation passages allow for the free flow of air through the pillowstructure. The plurality of ventilation passages preferably extend fromthe bottom surface to the upper surface of the pillow structure asillustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 12 of the drawings. The plurality ofventilation passages also preferably extend from the at least one sidesurface to the upper surface of the pillow structure. The plurality ofventilation passages further preferably are interconnected to provide anadequate distribution of ventilation throughout the entire pillowstructure formed by the layers of foam material 30.

The plurality of ventilation passages preferably includes verticalorientated passages and/or a plurality of horizontally orientatedpassages as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 11 of the drawings. A pluralityof primary apertures 42 extend within the upper surface and are fluidlyconnected to the plurality of ventilation apertures to provideventilation to the upper surface that the user is lying upon. Theprimary apertures 42 further are preferably fluidly connected via theventilation passages with apertures within the bottom surface of thepillow structure.

The plurality of primary apertures 42 are preferably formed within acentral portion of a plurality of ring members 40 connected to oneanother to form each of the plurality of layers of foam as illustratedin FIGS. 1 through 8 of the drawings. The ring members 40 are preferablyaligned in individual rows connected to one another in an end-to-endmanner with the adjacent rows connected to one another formingcross-wise rows as best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 of the drawings.The individual layers of foam material 30 constructed of the ringmembers 40 are preferably attached to one another at adjacent locationsbetween the layers of foam material 30. Each of the plurality of ringmembers 40 are preferably staggered and/or offset with respect toadjacent layers of the plurality of layers of foam as best illustratedin FIGS. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings.

A plurality of secondary apertures 44 are also preferably formed withinthe upper surface of the layers of foam material 30 (and the lowersurface) which are fluidly connected to the plurality of ventilationpassages. The plurality of secondary apertures 44 are positioned betweenthe plurality of ring members 40 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6 of thedrawings. In particular, the secondary apertures 44 are each adjacent tofour ring members 40 forming a star-shaped structure having four narrowportions as best illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings.

FIGS. 9 through 13 illustrate the layers of foam material 30 comprisedof a plurality of strip members 50 each having an elongated structurewith a first end 52 and a second end 54. As illustrated in FIGS. 9through 13, the adjacent layers of strip members 50 are preferablytransverse to one another forming the ventilation passages betweenthereof to allow for horizontal and vertical ventilation passages to beformed.

FIGS. 14 through 17 illustrate the plurality of layers of foam comprisedof a plurality of braided members 60 each having an elongated structuresimilar to the strip members 50. As with the strip members 50 discussedpreviously, the adjacent layers of braided members 60 are preferablytransverse to one another forming the ventilation passages betweenthereof to allow for horizontal and vertical ventilation passages to beformed. The plurality of braided members 60 are each comprised of aplurality of elongated foam strips braided together as illustrated inFIGS. 16 and 18 of the drawings. Each of the plurality of elongated foamstrips are preferably comprised of a first strip 62, a second strip 64and a third strip 66 braided together in an intertwined manner asillustrated in FIGS. 14 through 18 of the drawings.

FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate the plurality of layers of foam material 30including an upper member 70 forming the upper surface and a lowermember 72 forming the lower surface, with the lower member 72 positionedopposite of the upper member 70. A plurality of foam strips 76 a-f arepreferably positioned between the lower member 72 and the upper member70 to form ventilation passages between thereof. The plurality of foamstrips 76 a-f are formed into individual rows that are stacked upon oneanother in a transverse manner with respect to adjacent rows as furtherillustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20. The foam strips 76 a-f may have the sameor different foam characteristics (e.g. one layer may be comprised of asofter foam material than an adjacent layer). For example, one row offoam strips 76 c is preferably comprised of a broader and thinnerstructure compared to adjacent foam strips 76 b and 76 d. In addition,while the foam strips 76 a-f are preferably equidistantly spaced apart,the outer portions may have the foam strips 76 a-f closer together foradditional support in one or more layers as illustrated in FIG. 20 ofthe drawings. The upper member 70 and the lower member 72 are eachpreferably comprised of a solid foam structure without apertures,however, apertures may extend through the upper member 70 and the lowermember 72. In addition, the plurality of layers of foam material 30preferably include a neck support member 74 positioned near the uppermember 70 and a front portion of side surface to provide additionalsupport for a neck of a user as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 of thedrawings. The neck support member 74 is preferably comprised of a foammaterial that is thinner than the layer of foam the neck support member74 is positioned within as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20. Finally, theupper member 70 and/or the lower member 72 may be utilized upon theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1 through 17 of the drawings.

In use, the plurality of lawyers of foam material are positioned withinthe pillowcase 20 through the end opening 22 of the pillowcase 20forming a pillow. The user positions the pillow in a desired location ontheir bed, sofa or other location. When the user rests their neck andhead upon the pillow, the layers of foam material 30 are compressedaccordingly to form to the shape of the body of the user while providingsufficient support to the user. In addition, the ventilation passagesformed by the plurality of layers of foam material 30 allows for coolerair to enter the interior of the pillow between the layers of foammaterial 30 thereby cooling the upper surface of the pillow andaccordingly the body of the user that is in contact with the pillow.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods andmaterials are described above. All publications, patent applications,patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law andregulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof,and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilizedwithin the description are for convenience only and have no legal orlimiting effect.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A pillow, comprising: a plurality of layersof foam material stacked upon one another, wherein said plurality oflayers form a pillow structure having a bottom surface, an uppersurface, and at least one side surface; and a plurality of ventilationpassages extending through said plurality of layers of foam, whereinsaid ventilation passages allow for the free flow of air through saidpillow structure.
 2. The pillow of claim 1, wherein said plurality ofventilation passages extend from said bottom surface to said uppersurface of said pillow structure.
 3. The pillow of claim 2, wherein saidplurality of ventilation passages extend from said at least one sidesurface to said upper surface of said pillow structure.
 4. The pillow ofclaim 1, wherein said plurality of ventilation passages extend from saidat least one side surface to said upper surface of said pillowstructure.
 5. The pillow of claim 1, wherein said plurality of layers offoam material are comprised of polyurethane foam.
 6. The pillow of claim5, wherein said plurality of layers of foam material are comprised ofviscoelastic polyurethane foam.
 7. The pillow of claim 1, wherein saidplurality of ventilation passages include vertical orientated passages.8. The pillow of claim 7, wherein said plurality of ventilation passagesinclude horizontally orientated passages.
 9. The pillow of claim 1, aplurality of primary apertures within said upper surface and fluidlyconnected to said plurality of ventilation apertures.
 10. The pillow ofclaim 9, wherein said plurality of primary apertures are formed within acentral portion of a plurality of ring members connected to one anotherto form each of said plurality of layers of foam.
 11. The pillow ofclaim 10, wherein each of said plurality of ring members are staggeredwith respect to adjacent layers of said plurality of layers of foam. 12.The pillow of claim 10, including a plurality of secondary apertureswithin said upper surface and fluidly connected to said plurality ofventilation passages, wherein said plurality of secondary apertures arepositioned between said plurality of ring members.
 13. The pillow ofclaim 1, wherein said pillow structure has a rectangular shape.
 14. Thepillow of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of layers of foam arecomprised of a plurality of ring members.
 15. The pillow of claim 1,wherein said plurality of layers of foam are comprised of a plurality ofstrip members, wherein adjacent layers of strip members are transverseto one another.
 16. The pillow of claim 1, wherein said plurality oflayers of foam are comprised of a plurality of braided members, whereinadjacent layers of braided members are transverse to one another. 17.The pillow of claim 16, wherein said plurality of braided members areeach comprised of a plurality of elongated foam strips braided together.18. The pillow of claim 17, wherein said plurality of elongated foamstrips are comprised of a first strip, a second strip and a third stripbraided together.
 19. The pillow of claim 1, wherein said plurality oflayers of foam material include an upper member forming said uppersurface and a lower member forming said lower surface, wherein saidlower member is positioned opposite of said upper member.
 20. The pillowof claim 19, wherein said plurality of layers of foam material include aneck support member positioned near said upper member and a frontportion of said at least one side surface to provide additional supportfor a neck of a user.